Bleach: Put some film in your camera and capture the dead
by Blackrosetta13
Summary: Miku Hinasaki and Ichigo Kurosaki only have one thing in common. They can see the dead. But that single thing is what will bring them together as friends, or more.
1. Dead

**_If you were asked to give your life to save a house so dear,_**  
 ** _would you smile, nod, and accept your fate, or would you flee in fear?_**  
 ** _Our story is marked by death and blood, it's quite a tale to tell,_**  
 ** _the noble deaths of several girls to seal the gates of Hell._**  
 ** _A butterfly with crimson wings departs a peaceful corpse,_**  
 ** _the very soul of a fallen twin the insect's guiding force._**  
 ** _Do you, my friend, respect the dead, embrace the lives they lived? Your ideal world could dissappear inside the camera's lens._**  
 ** _Silent screams, bloody lies,_**  
 ** _fearsome phantoms with gouged-out eyes,_**  
 ** _your heart may race, but don't be scared,_**  
 ** _after all, you may be spared._**  
 ** _Watch your step, decode the clues,_**  
 ** _uncover the secrets, uncover the truth,_**  
 ** _a deadly game of demon tag,_**  
 ** _a childish song to drive you mad,_**  
 ** _bloody ropes that strangle limbs,_**  
 ** _a ritual failed, her love for him._**  
 ** _Calamity, Malice, fear, regret!_**  
 ** _Panic, panic, but please don't die yet,_**  
 ** _Remember, remember the screams in your head,_**  
 ** _put some film in your camera and capture the dead._**

-by hisoka-sama, deviantart

Even though she had been attending Karakura high for 3 months already, Miku Hinasaki still didn't have any friends. This came as no surprise, however, as things had been going on like this for many, many years. Ever since she was little, in fact. Miku just wasn't the type to make friends. It wasn't that she was a bad kid or anything, nothing like that. Miku was just...shy? Socially awkward? Emotionally scarred from years upon years of harsh judgement and tormenting from her peers? All of the above was probably the right answer. So when Miku got to class and took her seat, she wasn't surprised when nobody greeted her. She was expecting it. Miku silently sat down, her seat in the back of the room, next to the window, which she proceeded to stare out, secretly eavesdropping on the conversations going on around her. Nothing seemed interesting until, "Hey, stop that. Don't waste your youth day dreaming!"

Miku glanced up to see two of her female classmates talking. One was a girl named Tatsuki Arisawa, a tomboy with short, spiky black hair and brown eyes. Other than the fact that she was brash, loud, and constantly around a girl named Orihime Inoue, Miku knew nothing about her. And it only made sense that the girl she was lectured was the very same Orihime, who had long, orangish hair held back by two blue flower pins. Unlike the flat chested and loud Tatsuki, Orihime had large breasts and was normally relatively quiet. "Ichigo's late." Tatsuki said suddenly, getting a confused look from Orihime. "Weren't you thinking of him?" "Unh, no!" Orihime flushed, shaking her head spastically and hiding her face behind an astrology book she had in her hands. Miku had to admit that she was surprised Orihime even owned such a book. She...wasn't exactly the brightest girl in the world. Tatsuki laughed at her friend for a moment before a thought came over her and her expression grew serious as she leaned closer to Orihime. "What's so great about him, Orihime? He's got tweaked out hair. He's rude, immature, short tempered.." She trailed off for a few seconds and then casually added, "A girl with boobs like yours could do a lot better."

This only made Orihime smile though, setting her book down. "He's funny! When I think of Ichigo's scowling face..." Aaaand then Orihime went off into dream land, leaving both Tatsuki and Miku staring at her with concern, though neither girls noticed Miku. Nobody ever did. Suddenly the big breasted girl bursted out into a laughing fit, startling the other two girls. "It's hilarious!"

Miku didn't even want to think about what Orihime had been imagining. That girl was just plain weird.

"He may be absent today."

The three girls looked up at the new voice to see a boy Miku recognized but didn't know the name of. He was nice enough looking, with short black hair and a little smile. "Mizuiro!" Orihime greeted the boy before asking, "How come? You usually come to school with Ichigo." "I stopped by his place this morning and there was a big hole in his house." The boy, Mizuiro, began to explain. "They said a trucked blowed into it in the middle of the night. So his dad said.

"Tatsuki and Orihime instantly began to worry, and, begrudgingly, so did Miku. She, like Orihime, had a crush on the orange haired delinquent, but unlike Orihime, Miku wasn't too pleased about it. She had never liked anyone like that before, and she didn't want to start now. It just felt too..foreign, and unnerving. Not something a shy little nobody like Miku was used to feeling.

"A truck?!" Tatsuki finally cried out, getting in Mizuiro's face. "So?! Is he hurt?! Or maybe-"

Just as the word 'dead' slipped out of Tatsuki's mouth, she was smacked upside the head with the spine of a book. A book that belonged to the annoyingly attractive Ichigo Kurosaki. "Alive." Ichigo said bluntly, as he often did when speaking, and wore his signature scowl that Orihime had just been having one of her weird fantasies about. "Sorry to disappoint you. We all survived." "Ichigo!" Orihime exclaimed with relief, but then she realized that she had shouted out his name and her face turned red. "G-Good morning!"

After the pair exchanged greeting and the group began discussing the class, Miku began to turn her attention back to the window, but this was interrupted when she felt someone...staring. Staring at her. And that, as it should be obvious to tell by now, was not normal. Shoulders stiffening, Miku slowly turned her head and found herself making eye contact with Ichigo Kurosaki. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but another girls voice cut him off. "Son of a...are you Kurosaki?" Followed by the sound of a chair scrapping the floor. Both teenagers looked over to see a girl Miku had never seen before. However, it was clear by the look on Ichigo's face that he knew the new girl. Mizuiro began to introduce her, and Miku took this chance to turn quickly to the window, her face burning and her heart pounding in her chest. He had been looking at her! Ichigo Kurosaki had tried to talk to her! Miku felt sick to her stomach, though she wasn't sure if this was a bad kind of sick of a good kind of sick. Was there even such a thing as a good kind of sick? Too many thoughts were racing through her head.

But they all came to a completely stop when something outside caught Miku's attention. Hanging from a rope in the schools courtyard was a woman, swaying gently in the breeze. Dead.


	2. listening

The first hollow

A few days had passed since Miku learned about Ichigo's accident with a truck, and the spirit that followed her had only grown more persistent.

It would follow her everywhere now. To school, home, the store. In every class Miku saw it, in the bathroom, in her room, the closet, any nearby trees. Miku saw it everywhere.

And it was driving her crazy.

As she walked home on day from the grocery store and the ghost hung from every tree she passed, Miku felt like she was about to break down.

"Hey, what the heck are you doing?!" "EEEEK!"

Miku stopped in her tracks, thinking someone was in trouble, and turned towards the voices, clutching her grocery bag to her chest. From where she stood she could see Ichigo Kurosaki yelling at the new girl, Rukia Kuchiki, a bat over his shoulder while Rukia had a book in her hands. Miku thought it was a little odd...sure Ichigo could be described as popular, but he didn't just up and make friends. Who could blame him, though, for becoming friends with Rukia so quickly.. Miku certainly couldn't. Rukia was a pretty girl, on the petite side with a flat chest, but something about her made her look elegant, and she had large, gorgeous brown eyes and black hair that reached her shoulders. "Ooooh! You scared me!" Rukia panted, holding the book to her chest. "I was just studying the contemporary vernacular of this world!" "You were not. Using that to study? You were readin' a stupid horror comic while I tranin' my soul reaper butt off! Where'd you find it, anyway?"

Soul reaper?

Neither noticed Miku slowly come closer to the pair to listen in.

They never did.

Honestly, Miku could probably run some sort of blackmail market with all the dirty little secrets she knew about her classmates, but she would never do such a thing. Miku was far too nice, and she would never dream of doing that.

"Huh?" Rukia blinked, clearly surprised. "You finished your training?" I hit these stupid pepper balls a hundred times, right?" Ichigo replied. "I'm done! What's this supposed to accomplish anyway? And where'd you get the weird...pitching machine?" At this Rukia got to her feet, scowling. "Fool! Only the **wrong** **balls** had pepper in them!"

Miku was only a few feet away from them now, and honestly, she thought the pair were cute. She was also a little jealous but she knew she didn't have a chance with someone like Ichigo. Or really anyone for that matter.

Hard to get boys attention when you're invisible, after all.

"Idiot!" Rukia's shouting broke Miku from her thoughts. "I told you to only hit the balls with the heads! What's the point of this exercise?!" "How should I know?!" Ichigo retorted, holding up two balls with something drawn on each. "And it's impossible to tell the heads from the hands the way you draw!"

With an angry expression on her face, Rukia snatched the ball and held it up to him. "Listen! The head is the Hollow's weak spot. This training will help you crack heads with precision, no matter the situation!"

Hollows? Did that have something to do with this "soul reaper" thing?

"Why do I gotta do that? I've been beating 'em just fine." Ichigo crossed his arms, scowling his usual scowl. "Fool!" That seemed to be Rukia's favorite word. "When did you ever defeat a Hollow with one blow?! Approaching a Hollow from behind and killing it with one blow is the essence of Hollow hunting! It's a miracle that you survived fighting them as you have!" Something about Rukia's comment made Ichigo's eyebrow twitch slightly, and now Miku was close enough that she could see it, which probably wasn't the best idea, but it wasn't like they were going to notice her any time soon. "Hitting them from behind is unfair! I can't do it."

Ichigo then looked away and proved Miku completely wrong when their eyes met once again and he seemed to pale. Rukia didn't seem to realise this though. "Safe the code of Bushido for human foes! Hollows are your prey! Fairness doesn't apply here! That kind of thinking will get you killed!"

When Ichigo didn't reply to her, Rukia turned her head to just what was distracting him, and the color drained from her face as well when she say Miku. "Y-you! How long have you been-" "HI, ICHIGO!"

The new, loud voice made the three jump and everyone turned to see Orihime standing there, her hands cupping her mouth the make her voice louder, a grocery bag hanging from her arm. "Orihime! Wh-what are you doing here?!" Ichigo stammered, and Orihime just giggled, pulling a leak from her bag. "Hehe! Shopping for dinner! I bought leaks, butter, bananas, and Bean jam jelly!"

Miku didn't want to know what Orihime planned to make with all that…

Orihime began to ask what Ichigo was doing at the park, but then she looked right past Miku and saw Rukia. "Rukia?!" "Huh?! Now Rukia was even more panicked, looking between Miku and Orihime. "Do I know you?" "Idiot! She's Orihime Inoue she's in our class!" Ichigo reminded her, and Rukia stared at her blankly for a minute before suddenly lifting her skirt, giving Orihime a curtsey. "Well hello, Miss Inoue. How do you do, my dear?" Much to Ichigo and Mikue's surprise, Orihime curtseyed back. 'Oh, I'm fine, thank you!" And as she did, Ichigo noticed the bandages on her arm. Orihime explained that it she had merely been hit by a car. You know, no biggie. This seemed to upset Ichigo, and so while he and Rukia were distracted with Orihime, Miku decided it was time for her to sneak off. Two people had noticed her today, one who had already done so before a few days ago.

This wasn't normal. Miku was the girl that nobody saw. The girl who had no friends, who the teachers forgot about and who nobody ever talked to. **This was not normal**.

Just the simple act of two people noticing her made Miku feel like her world was being shaken to its very core, and she didn't like it!

So she started to jog away, clutching the bag tightly. She didn't even notice the ghost until she almost ran into it, and she froze.

The ghost was a pretty women, Japanese, with pale skin and brown, unblinking eyes that she stared at Miku with. She had long, dark brown hair that was held up into a neat bun, and she wore a dark colored yukata. She hang by her neck from a rope attached to the nearest tree, which was right next to Miku.

The pair stared at each other until tears stung Miku's eyes and she began to tremble lightly.

"...Wh-why...why are you following me…" She asked in a hushed voice which cracked with each word that she said. "Why are you following me...why won't you leave me alone….mother…!"

"Mother?!"

Miku whipped around, almost dropping her grocery bag and found Ichigo and Rukia standing behind her, staring with concern on both her feelings. Panic in Miku's chest and without a word to anyone of them she let the bag fall to the ground and took off running, her face wet as she cried.


	3. The first hollow

The first Hollow

Miku trudged through the streets with her head down, letting her bangs hide her eyes. She had been crying almost nonstop since earlier that day when she had stumbled across Ichigo and Rukia at the park, and now her eyes were all pink and puffy. Miku could only pray that they would return to normal before she got to the Kurosaki Clinic for her check up.

Ugh.

The _Kurosaki_ clinic. Meaning the Clinic Ichigo's father, Isshin Kurosaki, owned. If Miku had to see Ichigo there, she didn't think her heart could handle it. Which was too bad, because the universe seemed to hellbent on screwing her over tonight. She hadn't made it more than a block or so from her house when she heard Rukia shouting not too far ahead. "Hurry up! You want to save that girl, don't you?!"

Miku blinked and looked around for the voice she had heard, praying it wasn't some ghost. To be fair, it wasn't, not exactly, anyway.

What Miku saw was Ichigo, wearing a black uniform, with Rukia riding on his back as he hopped from roof to roof. He carried a large, dangerous looking sword. Miku had no idea what was going on or why he looked like that, but she got the feeling it was something important, and without even thinking, her legs began to move on their own. Miku gasped as she realized she was following them. But she didn't stop. Somebody was in trouble, and for some reason, Miku found herself wanting to help. And perhaps it was because of the darkness, but neither Ichigo or Rukia seemed to notice her following them. As best she could, anyway, since Ichigo was moving at an amazing pace. It wasn't long before Miku reached the house the pair had gone into. They had literally _jumped through the wall._

Miku ran to the house, pulling the door open, and for a minute wondered why it wasn't even locked, but she quickly ignored the thought and ran towards the yelling she heard. Reaching another door, she flung it open and then froze.

Tatsuki lay on the floor, passed out, a mark on her neck and blood on the floor. Orihime was on the floor too. Her body, at least. Miku could see her spirit standing in the corner, a chain on her chest connecting her to her body, and she looked so scared. And then there was it. That **thing**. Miku had never seen anything like it before, and it filled her with fear.

A monster. Giant, with the lower body of a snake but the upper body of a human. Sort of. Most of its body was white except for it's arms and shoulders, which were red. It wore, or looked like it was wearing, a mask, sort of like a skeleton, with black eyes, it's dirty black hair hanging in its face, and these huge, awful teeth that made Miku cringe. There was also a hole in its chest. For some reason, Ichigo and Rukia hadn't come in yet, and Miku just wanted to run away now, but..but...

 _Orihime looked so scared._

It made Miku think. Think back to practically her whole life, a life of being afraid of the spirits, and her heart reached out to Orihime, who obviously had no idea what was going on.

"Y-You.."

Miku snapped from her thoughts when she heard Orihime's voice and she looked up. "You go to my school..." "She can't hear us." The monster said in a mans voice, not even looking at Miku. "She can't see us either, Orihime." Both girls now stared at the monster, confused on how it knew the ginger haired girls name, and that's exactly what Orihime asked it, how. Slowly it lifted its head, and its words were so cold that it sent chills through Miku's whole body. "...Have you forgotten my voice?"

"THAT WOUNDS ME, ORIHIME!"

Suddenly it raised its arm and began to swing down violently, about to strike Orihime. Without thinking twice, Miku ran to her classmate, preparing to shield her from the attack. It never came.

There was Ichigo, standing in front of the twi girls, his sword raised. It looked like he had cut the monsters hand, and now it was just staring at him. He stared at it and then looked over at Orihime's body that still lay collapsed on the floor. Then Orihime broke the silence. "Ichigo! I knew it was you!"

This startled Ichigo and he whipped around to start at the two girls. It was almost like he hadn't even noticed them at all and just got in front of the monster to get in front of it.

Which, thinking about it, wasn't all that out of character for Ichigo, to be honest.

"How can you see me?!" He demanded, his face starting to show concern. Before Orihime could answer though, the monster slowly leaned down, until it's head was level with Ichigo, and it spoke in a low, almost amused voice. Isn't it obvious! She's a spirit!"

 **"i'm sorry...but Orihime is already...dead!"**

And with that, the monster attacked again. Ichigo tried to counter, however Miku stopped the scales on its arms, which it used to block the attack. He wouldn't be able to cut them. Blood slowly began to drip from Ichigo's head and Miku gasped when it became apparent that he had been cut. "You talk tough.." The monster began to laugh. "But you're far too slow...is it so hard to believe that Orihime has been forced from her body? Ichigo Kurosaki!" The monster then unhinged its jaw, spitting a clear liquid out. It landed on Ichigo's hand. He stopped and stared down at it before letting out a hiss and dropping the sword, clutching his hand. Acid. Before Miku could see it move, the monsters tail smacked Ichigo down, and Orihime ran around her towards him, only to be scooped up into the monsters large hand. "Ichigo!" She cried out, a cry that was repeated by Rukia, who suddenly came running into the room. Orihime tried to struggle, and Miku stared up at her and the monster, trying to think of what to do, until it spoke again.

"Orihime...have you really forgotten me..."

With its free hand it slowly lifted the hair from its eyes, revealing a single human eye, and Orihime let out a gasp. "S...Sora?!"

 _Sora..._

Miku knew about Sora. Almost everyone in Orihime's class knew about Sora. He was Orihime's late brother, who had died long before Miku had moved into town. A hit and run. Miku had heard that Orihime had dragged her big brother all the way to the Kurosaki clinic, but in the end, he couldn't be saved, and now, she was all alone. It was a fate Miku herself feared she would fall into herself one day. A life without her big brother..she couldn't bear to imagine such a thing. She couldn't imagine what Orihime was going through. "S...Sora...is that really you?" Orihime muttered, and the monster, Sora, nodded his head. "Yes. You haven't forgotten me-"But..why? Why did you hurt Tatsuki and Ichigo?! Why?!" Orihime's voice rang out filled with confusion and sadness and it made Miku mad. This monster, it couldn't be her brother, could it? Big brothers were supposed to protect their siblings, not hurt them! Sora's reply only made Miku's anger grow. "Why? You know why!"

"Those two tried to tear us apart! After I died, you prayed for me everyday...I watched you, always...it made me-happy. I was dead, but...your prayers eased my suffering. But a year passed. You became friends with that girl. After that...you prayed for me less and less! Then you entered high school...and Ichigo Kurosaki showed up." As Sora explained his twisted reasoning, both Orihime and Miku were at a loss for words. This..wasn't right. It just wasn't right! "And you.." Sora continued, his voice becoming a growl. "Stopped praying for me all together! At home, all you talked about was Kurosaki! It hurt me! I saw myself, fading a little from your heart each day.." "No. No, Sora, that's not-" Orihime tried to interrupt, but her brothers angered spirit wouldn't let her. "I was so lonely! It was unbearable! Sometimes I just wanted to... **kill**." That's when Ichigo rose, going for another attack, but again he was beaten down by Sora's tail. "Come with me, Orihime." He said, raising his young sister higher. "Come back..to when it was just the two of us."

Miku had no idea what to do. Besides seeing the dead, she couldn't do anything. She felt useless! But then Orihime spoke.

"Why?" She asked, her voice cracking as she kept her head down, but then she slowly raised it and looked her brother in the eye. "If you were lonely, you should have told me...why did you have to hurt Ichigo and Tatsuki? Why, Sora?" Now her voice was unfaltering, but tears were swelling in Orihime's eyes. "The brother I loved...would never do something like this!"

Sora stared at his sister in silence for a few seconds, as if processing her words, until her slammed his large thumb over her mouth and began to shake Orihime, his mouth unhinged as he screamed at her. Miku's legs buckled under her and she covered her eyes, terrified.

 **"I'll kill you!"** Sora shook Orihime hard. **"How do you think I became this...thing?! It was all** _ **your**_ **fault little sister! I'll kill you! Kill you!"**

 _CRASH!_

When Miku opened her eyes, she found herself standing before Sora, a broken vase in her hands. Oh god. OH GOD. She had _hit him with the vase._


	4. The story of the hairpin

The story of the hairpin

Miku stared up at Sora, her entire body trembling as she dropped the vase, the rest of it shattering as it hit the ground. Sora was staring back at her, and at that moment, Miku knew she was going to die.

But no matter how scared she was, she wasn't going to regret her actions.

She would die having tried to help someone.

Sora let out an angry cry and went in for the attack, but froze as blood began to spray everywhere, and piece by piece, his hands and arms fell to the floor. Chopped up. Miku broke away from her frozen fear to lunge out, managing to break Orihime's fall, however, this only caused both girls to topple over, but at least neither were hurt. "Do you know...why brothers were born first?" Ichigo spoke softly as he came up behind Sora, his sword stained with blood. "To protect...the little ones who come after them!" Miku stared, her heart pounding in her head. She was getting irritated with herself. Now was not the time for these thoughts, but she had to admit, Ichigo looked really _cool._ He pointed his sword at Sora, anger burning in his eyes. "What kind of brother says he'll kill his own sister?! Even a monster Shouldn't say that!"

"Ugh.." Sora let out a groan, and then a full out cry, like an animal. "GAROOOOOOO!"

"WHY?! WHY DO YOU STAND IN MY WAY, ICHIGO KUROSAKI!" Sora screeched, bloodied tears now streaking down his white mask, staining it with red. "When I was 15, my sister was born." He began suddenly, his voice dropping to just above a whisper. "She was more like a daughter to me than a sister. Our parents were truer monsters than I am now. The kind of monsters that would silence a babies cries with beatings. I hid her...I quieted her cries...where they wouldn't hear. In march, when I was 18, I...took my 3 year old sister...and fled that cursed house. After that..it was us against the world!"

Sora turned to face Ichigo, ignoring the bloody stumps that were once his hands, "Just the two of us! Forever! I raised Orihime! I protected her! She's mine! Nobody else can have her! Least of all you, Ichigo Kurosaki! You will never have her!" He then lunged at Ichigo without warning, his mouth wide open, going for the kill. Ichigo merely raised his sword, lodging it in Sora's teeth to block the attack. "As if," He snarled, "Captain Overbite. Orihime doesn't belong to anyone!" Sora ignored his words, though, or perhaps he was so far gone now that he couldn't even comprehend them. "She's mine! Her soul is mine! I lived for her, but she..won't live for me! Very well... **THEN SHE WILL DIE FOR ME!** "

Sora lunged.

And Orihime ran forward, embracing him, allowing him to bite down on her shoulder.

Both miku and Ichigo stared in absolute horror, unable to understand what was going on. Not at first, anyway. But the longer Miku stared at the scene before her, the more she understood.

Perhaps it was because, unlike Ichigo, who was the older brother, Miku was a little sister, like Orihime. A little sister who loved her big brother more than anything else in the world.

"ori...hime? Ori...-" Sora himself seemed to be an an utter loss over what was going on, but Orihime merely continued to hold his large head, ignoring the blood that seeped from her arm where Sora's teeth met the flesh. "I'm sorry...Sora..." Orihime muttered gently, nuzzling her older brothers face with her head. "I..wanted to share them...fun things at school...the happy stuff...things I liked..people I liked..." She then pulled her head away, staring at her brother as she fought back tears. "At first, all I did was pray everyday...but I thought that was wrong...I didn't want you to see my sadness. I didn't want you to feel my pain. So I hid it from you! I only shared my happiness with you! So you wouldn't suffer for me!"

Sora went completely silent now, staring at his little sister with wide eyes, her words finally reaching through to him.

"I...didn't realize I made you feel lonely..." Orihime was crying now, and Sora slowly released her, pulling away from her touch. "..I'm sorry I hurt you, Sora...I love you.." Orihime then collapsed onto the ground. Miku ran to her, not even caring about Sora anymore, and knelt down, taking the ginger into her arms. "She can still be saved!" Rukia hurried over to the two girls, determination on her face. "The _Ina no kusari-_ the chain of fate-is still attached! As long as it's connected to her body she isn't really dead! I can use my _kido_ to save her!" She then pushed Sora out of the way, and Sora let her, leaning down over his sister. When he spoke, his voice had returned to normal. "Orihime..sister..Orihime..I knew. That you stopped praying so you wouldn't worry me. But..I didn't want you to stop. When you were praying...your heart was all mine." 'The hairpin..that was a gift from you." Ichigo walked towards them, his movement almost silent. "She told me, it was the first gift you ever gave her. She still wears it today."

Finally Ichigo reached them, only taking his eyes off of Sora for a moment to glance down at Orihime, then at Miku, and his expression flickered to that of surprise, as if only now truly realizing that she was there. His sight quickly returned to Sora, though. "It's the same. Those who die and those who get left behind...they all feel alone!"

Ichigo's words hit Miku hard, and the image of her mother hanging there flashed in her mind.

Was...was that why she stayed behind? Even though she had taken her own life?

Did she feel...alone?

"You were so caught up in your own loneliness you forgot about hers!"

Each word Ichigo said rang in Miku's head, and she clutched Orihime closer to her chest. Was that..was that what was going on with herself? Had she been so blinded by her own loneliness, her own sadness, that she ignored the pain her mother felt?

The pain that led her to kill herself that day?

Was Miku no different than this monster Sora had become?

Miku snapped back to the present as Sora reached for Ichigo. She opened her mouth to warn him, but instead of attacking, Sora grabbed Ichigo's sword and stabbed himself in the head, cracking the mask. It split, falling to the ground with a clatter. Ichigo and Miku gawked at him. "Why did you do that?!" "It's alright..." Sora replied gently. "If I stayed as I am, I'd lose myself again, and attack Orihime. That's why now, in this moment of sanity, I want to pass on..." He then smiled down at Ichigo. The boy began to argue, but Rukia held up her hand, silencing him. "His decision is right. Hollows can never go back! Let him pass on...it's alright." She then raised her head, smiling at them all. A genuine smile. "To reap hollows is not really to kill them. Reaping merely frees them of sin. The _Zanpaku-to_ cleanses them...so they can enter the soul society. That is the reason soul reapers exist." "Then...goodbye, Orihime."

Sora leaned over Miku, who had Orihime on her lap, and his little sister slowly opened her eyes.

"There's something I always wanted to tell you..Sora.."

"The hairpin you gave me. I never really liked it. We had a fight that day...and for the first time, we ate dinner without speaking, and I sat facing the wall all evening. Then..you went off to work the next day...I let you go without saying a word."

Miku could tell where this story was going, and tears stung her eyes. To lose her older brother in such a way...she couldn't even think of it...

"Why did it have to be that? Maybe it wouldn't have made any difference...but I've...always regretted not saying this." Orihime smiled gently at her big brother. "Sora...have a nice day." And with that, Sora suddenly shed his monster form, his hollow form, and standing over them was a young man, with kind eyes and messy black hair. He smiled to himself and closed his eyes before suddenly fading into the air, until he was gone completely. "He's gone." Rukia sighed, returning Orihime to her own body. The moment she was revived, Orihime sat up. "I have so many questions-"

And Rukia opened something in her face. A toy duck head popped out, releasing smoke, and knocked Orihime out. " A _Kioku-chikane_ memory replacement. I erased tonight from her memory and gave her substitute memories. We can't let people know about us. Only, we can't choose the new memories. They're random. Hmm..she probably can't see anything, but just in case." Rukia thought for a moment and then turned to Miku. "And you. You go to our school, don't you. We're going to need to talk."

Miku's heart sunk, but then she relaxed when Rukia added, "But not until tomorrow. We all need to rest."

"No, for real! A Yakuza gunman totally came in and, like, blasted a huge hole in my wall!"

Everyone was trying not to giggle as Orihime explained what had happened to her the night before. "Whatever, space girl." One girl frowned. Another, a certain lesbian, giggled. "Orihime...that childlike mind of yours is really cute, princess!"

Miku took her seat, smiling as she overheard to conversation. For once it was nice to not only hear what was going on in the lives of others, but to have actually been there to see it too. Yeah, it had been the scariest thing she had ever seen, but Miku couldn't help but wonder if that was what it was like to have friends. But she didn't forget what Rukia had said, and she stiffened when she and Ichigo began to approach.


	5. Chad and the bird part 1

Miku felt incredibly uncomfortable.

She just wasn't used to sitting with anyone at lunch. Or at all for that matter. So being between Ichigo and Rukia as they sat on the roof to eat their food was really, really strange to her. Miku poked at the Shrimp Tempura her brother had made her while Ichigo was poking at his forehead where he had been burned while turning into a Soul Reaper. That's how Rukia explained it, anyway. "Dude...there's not even a trace of that burn left." "Surprised?" Rukia asked with a slight smirk as she took a bite of her bun. "Well...I did have the best grades in my kido class. Healing that wound was easy." Miku remained silent as she and Ichigo looked at the black haired girl. "Grades? Like, what, a reaper school?" "Something like that." Rukia replied and then stared down at the juice box sitting next to her. Miku was pretty interested to hear more about this 'reaper school', but she couldn't help but smile when Rukia lifted the juice box, asking Ichigo how to open it.

"Hey!"

The three blinked and looked up as the black haired boy, Mizuiro Kojima, made his way towards them from the stairs. "You and Rukia..together again? You must be in love or something, eating up here by yourselves." Of course he hadn't noticed Miku. Ichigo, however, quickly changed that. "We aren't by ourselves, Miku is with us. Besides, moron, does this look like love to you?" "I dunno. Either way, deny it all you want. People are still gonna talk, though. Clueless." Mizuiro took a seat across from them and then looked at Miku, his eyes lighting up slightly and he smiled. "I haven't seen you before, are you new here?" "...H-Hello, Mizuiro." Miku simply greeted him. She knew he was a nice guy, and he would probably feel bad if she told him she wasn't exactly new. His smile grew when she greeted him. "Cha-ching! You already know my name! That's great! But yes, Mizuiro Kojima, 15 years old. Enchanted. My hobbies include-" "Picking up chicks." Ichigo cut in bluntly, drinking from his own juice box. Miku giggled slightly. Ichigo noticed and shot her a faint smile. Mizuiro wasn't pleased, and gave the orange haired teen a pout. "Wh-what? No! Not that! You're ruining my rep. Anyway, I only go for older women. I'm harmless to girls my age." At this, Ichigo shot a knowing smirk to Rukia. Miku giggled again, looking at her too. It felt...nice to be included on a sort of 'in joke' for once. Rukia didn't seem to notice, still distracted by trying to open her Juice box. Hesitant at first, Miku took it from her and stuck the straw in before giving it back. Rukia gave her a thankful smile. She then looked up as Keigo came upstairs and looked around, frowning slightly.

"Chad's not here?"

From this Ichigo and Mizuiro began talking about Chad. Miku knew of him. He was a tall, handsome boy, muscular, of Mexican and Japanese descent. As far as she knew, Chad never noticed her either. But Chad was strange, so...it was hard to say. Miku was off in her own world, eating her tempura, when Keigo was suddenly kneed from behind and fell face first in front of Miku. She looked up to see a school bully she knew named Oshima, who had red hair was was..honestly very unattractive. Luckily, he wasn't even looking at Miku, but at Ichigo. "Hey..Kurosaki." "O-Oshima!" Keigo gawked as he pulled himself up off the ground, "You're off suspension?" "I ain't talking to you!" Oshima shoved Keigo out of the way and got down into Ichigo's face. "Kurosaki, when you gonna dye that carrot-piss hair black? Why you always trying to look like me?"

His poor grammer made Miku cringe.

"Like I keep telling you, this is my natural hair color." Ichigo shot back with an annoyed expression. "I don't look anything like you. Now fly away, drag queen...before you tick me off." And of course, Keigo and Mizuiro were shocked by their friends words. Rukia just looked confused and Miku already knew this was going to happen. She had witnessed fights between ichigo and Oshima before. But before yet another fight broke loose, Keigo got between them, trying to calm the situation. "Woah, woah, woah! No fighting! Okay guys? Let him live, Oshima! Everybody knows you're tough! Nobody can whip you!" "Except me." Ichigo smirked, causing Keigo to groan, his hard work for nothing as Ichigo got to his feet, handing Miku his lunch to hold. "I'll stomp that punk into next week." "Hmph." Oshima smirked at Ichigo's comment, reaching inside his jacket. "I knew I'd have to set you straight some day. Today's the day! Let's go, dingleberry. " He then pulled out his hand, which was now adorned with brass knuckles. "We'll see who's thtronger!"

Th...

 **THTRONGER?**

Miku and the others stared, dumbfounded, at Oshima's choice of words. She always knew he was supposedly not very bright, but this..this was just...good god.

Luckily, Oshima was put out of his misery, and everyone else's, when he was suddenly punched out of the way.

Standing there was Sado Chad, covered in bandages.

I LIIIIIIVE


	6. Chad and the bird part 2

Everyone was silent, watching as the school bully flew off the roof and landed on the ground below. He could be heard crying.

Well, at least he wasn't dead.

"Take it easy, you coulda killed him!" Keigo sighed but smiled, gently punching Chad on the chest. "But thanks." "Hey..." Ichigo broke up the conversation, staring at Chad. "How'd you hurt your hand?"

The group of friends blinked and that's when they all noticed that the large boys hand was in fact bandaged up. He paused, glancing down at it, and then shrugged. "Yesterday it was my back..." Chad started in a deep, almost nonchalant voice. "An I-beam fell on me...and today I hurt my hand grocery shoppin'...I ran into a motorcycle." "YOU'VE GOTTA BE MORE CAREFUL, DUDE!" Ichigo gawked, wide eyes and mouth agape as he stared up at Chad. Chad merely shrugged removing a strap from his shoulder, which turned out to be attached to a bird cage. "Well..the guy driving it got hurt real bad...so I carried him to the hospital." "So that's why you were late..."

Miku wasn't paying much attention to the conversation now. Instead, she was now staring at the bird inside the cage, a parakeet. Something about it was making her ghost detector go 'DING!', but she was sure it was nothing..right? Could animals even be ghosts?

The bird noticed her staring.

 _"Hello! My name is Yuichi Shibata! What's your name?"_

Nope.

Nopenopenopenopenope.

Miku didn't even realize that she had leaned into Ichigo's arm a little, eyes wide. Ichigo was staring at the bird as well. Keigo didn't notice their reactions, and leaned down to examine the cage. "Whoa! Awesome! He talks really good! My name is Keigo Asano! Can you say Keigo?" Chad...Where'd you get the parakeet?" Ichigo asked, completely ignoring Keigo talking to the bird. Chad was silent for a moment before replying with, "Yesterday..." He paused and then added, "A guy gave it to me." "Hey!" Keigo suddenly looked up and frowned, pointing at Chad. "Tell us the whole story! Don't be lazy!"

"That was the whole story."

"No way!"

"Don't worry." Rukia's voice caught Miku and Ichigo's attention. She was staring at the bird as well, but she didn't look too unsettled, or unsettled at all. "There is **something** in that bird, but it's harmless. Probably just a lonely soul. Still, if we leave it, it'll eventually become a Hollow. We should preform Konso tonight." Ichigo nodded silently and sipped his juice, keeping his eyes on the bird. Rukia couldn't help but note how different he was compared to the girl still leaning against him. Ichigo had instantly become worried for the safety of others as soon as he felt the soul's presence, while Miku was filled with fear. Normally the soul reaper would scoff at this kind of cowardly reactions, but she couldn't help but feel that there was a reason behind this fear. Maybe it involved the spirit that they had seen with Miku that day at the park, the one she had called her mother...Rukia realized that she and Ichigo had completely forgotten about that due to all of the excitement with Orihime.

Rukia didn't get a chance to talk with Miku about it, nor did she and Ichigo get to preform Konso on the bird. Something had attacked Chad, and he had been rushed to the Kurosaki clinic to be treated while Ichigo, who was basically useless when it came to medical work, took 'the position' outside the door and waited. He was sure Chad would be fine, the guy was built like an ox, but the next morning the Kurosaki family woke to find that Chad had vanished in the night. He came running into the classroom, demanding to know if Chad was there. When their friends told him that no, Chad hadn't come to class that morning, he instantly ran out, Rukia on his tail. And for some reason, reasons she couldn't understand, Miku was running with them. It had happened before she could even think about it, and now, as she ran through the street with her new friends, Miku was silently scolding herself. What use was she to them? She wasn't a soul reaper, she didn't have any powers, all she could do was see the dead, and what good was that when the dead scared her witless.

But she didn't want her friends to go alone.

"I think it was a Hollow that attacked Chad last night!" Ichigo called back as they ran, more to Rukia than to Miku, "But I can't sense one anywhere!" "When Hollows aren't chasing souls, they hide between the world of the living and the soul society." Rukia explained as the group slowly came to a stop. All this was going over Miku's head, but she did her best to understand. "We can't locate it until it shows up in the real world to attack Chad! That's why we wait for order from the soul society." As Rukia finished her explination, Ichigo groaned, pressing his hand to his forehead. "Chad is in serious danger, shoot! If we wait for it to attack, it'll be too late! There must be another-" He paused, his eyes lighting up as he was struck with a sudden idea. He turned to Rukia. "Chad's parakeet! Can we use it to detect the presence of the Hollow?" Rukia shook her head. "That's impossible!"

Despite her words, Ichigo then turned around his, back to them. Miku couldn't see what he was doing, but he was standing very still and tense, as if listening for something. Robes suddenly began to manifest in the air and Miku staggered back, gasping softly. Ichigo's arm shot out, and after yelling, "Gotcha!" He ran off, following the ribbon. Rukia herself looked absolutely shocked as well, but recovered and took off after him. Miku didn't move though. She..surprisingly wasn't scared by what she had just seen. Maybe it was because it had been done by Ichigo, but that didn't make Miku's lack of fear feel any less strange to her. Taking a deep breath, she sighed and turned back the way she came. She couldn't fight a Hallow, and though Ichigo had struggled slightly against Sora's Hollow form earlier, she felt sure that he could deal with this, especially with the help of Rukia, who seemed to be a veteran soul reaper. Miku, who had no real powers, would just get in the way. It would be safer for all of them if she went back to the school. But she didn't get very far. Ichigo's little sister, Karin, suddenly caught Miku's attention. She was staggering towards her, going in the same direction her older brother had.


	7. Karin

Miku stared for a moment, frozen as she watched the young girl stagger towards her, before the reality of the situation finally hit her and she turned, shouting out to the orange haired boy who, luckily, hadn't gotten too far away. "Ichigo! Your sister! She's hurt!" Almost instantly he stopped and looked back at them. Taking one step he was there in a flash, just in time for Karin Kurosaki to collapse in his arms. Rukia ran towards them, scowling slightly and shook her head. "Ichigo, you'd better take her home, I'll keep after them! If we leave her here, even with Miku, you'll be worrying about her when you fight the Hollow! You'll get us both eaten! Take her home and come back, hurry!"

Ichigo gently pulled Karin up, looking down at her with a concerned expression before nodding. "You...don't have the strength to fight a Hollow by yourself. Please, don't take any chances." "Don't be stupid. A veteran Soul Reaper never takes unnecessary risks. Now go!" And with that Rukia ran off again towards the Hollow. Ichigo then glanced at Miku and then nodded before running off as well, the the brunette following behind him. She..wasn't sure if he actually meant for her to follow, but, maybe she could help with this at least. Be of some use to her new found friends. Karin muttered Ichigo's name softly and he looked down at her, making sure to keep a fast but steady pace, so she wouldn't be in anymore pain. "You okay, Karin? Hang in there!" "I saw it..." Karin draped her hand over her eyes, each words coming out as a soft wheeze. "A memory from the soul in the parakeet yesterday...maybe because I'm closest in age...his strongest memory flowed into my mind.."

Ichigo looked horrified by his younger sisters words, while Miku's head was swimming with her father and his research. She didn't know ghosts could do that, she spent all her life trying to avoid them..but was something like this ever mentioned in her fathers numerous journals and notes? She had never gone through them, and he studied folklore and myths mostly...but couldn't ghosts be included in that sort of thing? And if so, would that information be helpful in a time like this? Could there even be a way to ease Karin's pain written some where in those journals?

 **"He saw it all! He saw his mother get murdered!"**

This instantly jarred Miku from her thoughts and she let out a small gasp, as did Ichigo, who then held his sister close as she clung to his uniform, almost in tears as she begged. "Ichigo, please...help him. Help him!" Ichigo remained silent and just continued to hold his sister until they reached the Kurosaki home and he and Miku hurried inside. They went up to Karin's room and Ichigo tucked Karin in her bed before looking up at Miku.

"...It's been years since I've seen Karin cry. Before mom died, Karin and Yuzu were regular cry babies. But then...Yuzu took over mom's duties like she was a grown up. Karin didn't have Yuzu's flair for homemaking, so she stepped aside and took care of herself. I never saw her cry again..until now. Not even when she got beat up by a 6th grader in the 1st grade. Or when she got chewed out for throwing a ball through the principal's window when she was seven. Or when she broke her leg on a field trip in the 3rd grade. She never cried once...stay with her, will you? I have to go..I have to go make sure he gets back with his mom."

Miku stared at him, hesitant for a moment. She wasn't sure she was capable of even a simple task like this..being alone with a hurting girl. But Ichigo's tone had been a pleading one, so finally she nodded and spoke softly. "..Just..give me a few minutes. I think I may have some books that might be able to help Karin."


	8. Mitori

QUICK AUTHORS NOTE:

As a long time fan of the Fatal Frame series, it shouldn't be a surprise that I...wasn't pleased with how Miku was treated in the most recent game. Her development was ruined and I know many other fans feel the same way. While I want to stick to the games and manga as best as I can, I will be taking creative liberty with the newest game and changing a few things. Though Maiden of Black water won't come into play until either the sequel or third fic after this, I will be introducing bits of it early on, such as now. I want to give Miku a better reason for having a connection with the maidens besides "hurr durr I want my brother back even though I got over this crap in the 3rd game".

-

 _'The Maidens of Black water lived on Mount Hikami, participating in all of the rituals held there as part of the local religion, worshipping the water. It is believed that they lived at the base of the mountain, only allowing those with permission, or those who wished to die, onto the mountain. In the late Edo period, however, almost all of the maidens were killed in a massacre, their religion and traditions dying out, leaving the mountain abandoned.'_

Miku glanced up from the worn journal in her hands as Karin moved slightly in bed, letting out a pained sigh. Miku let out a sigh of her own and glanced over at the piles of books beside her. Ichigo had long left after she had returned with the journals, and besides occasionally rewetting the clothe on Karin's head and making sure she was alright, Miku had been frantically searching her fathers books for anything that could be of help. So far, there was nothing. Her father, Masato Hinasaki, was a researcher and archaeologist who had made a living, though barely, researching folklore and myths. However, one day he left to investigate a supposed haunted house. He never returned. Now all that Miku had left of him were his books, and those seemed to be useless at the moment. Still, Miku carried on. There was very little about these 'Maidens of Black water', Miku assumed this was due to the massacre that had wiped them all out, but there was one last bit of information that caught Miku's eye.

 _' 'Mitori', also known as 'Glancing' seems to be an ability all shrine maidens, no matter what level they were, had. From some old text I managed to gather from elders living near the mountain, along with some rumors, 'Glancing' seemed to have been an ability in which a maiden touches a spirit during it's defeat and witness's it's last moments. Rumors say the stronger maidens would only need to look at the spirit for this power to occur. How it works or was done, nobody seems to know.'_

Miku finally closed the journal and looked back at Karin, her brow furrowed. A spirits defeat? So...when they died? Then, that would be useless for Karin, right? Though..that did almost sound like what Karin described, when she told them about what the parakeet showed her. Had she accidentally preformed a 'Mitori'? Was a bit of this child's soul now inside her? And if it was...would it be possible for Miku to remove it? Did it even work that way? And if it did, HOW would she even do it? Sighing, Miku got to her feet and went over, sitting on the bed. The movement caused Karin to stir slightly and Miku stared down at her before awkwardly grasping the young girls hand and squeezing her eyes shut. Maybe if she just..concentrated enough...

Nothing.

Miku continued this for a few more minutes.

Still nothing.

Realizing this was an incredibly stupid idea, Miku loosened her grip on Karin's hand. This finally woke the girl and she opened her eyes, now meeting Miku's gaze. And that is when it happened. Miku saw it. Or at least, bits of it.

A man, an ugly man, stabbing a woman, at least a dozen times. There was so much blood. She was running away from him, bleeding so badly, and in her arms she held a small boy. The man, he chased her onto the balcony, the knife in his hand stained red, and this disgusting smile on his face. It made Miku sick. She wanted to look away, but she just couldn't. The little boy had fallen to the ground, and reached out as the man ran by, grabbing his shoe. It caused the killer to lose his balance and trip over the balcony's railing, plummeting to his death. The woman had bled by now, dead. But then, the man stood before the child, a spirit. He had ripped the boys soul from his body. Told him that if the little boy could run from him for three whole months, then the killer would bring his mother back to him.

Karin finally pulled her hand away from Miku's and collapsed back into the bed, asleep once more. But now, she finally looked like she was in peace, no longer in pain.

Miku felt the exact opposite.


	9. So much YELLING

Ichigo grumbled as he walked behind his family, watching them start up the hill towards the cemetery where they would be visiting his mother. Karin and Yuzu were taking the lead, and Yuzu was beginning to complain about how steep the hill was. Isshin Kurosaki, their father, was in the middle, and readjusted the pack on his back when he heard his daughters comment. "C'MON, YUZU!" He shouted suddenly, causing birds in near by trees to fly off, cawing in protest. "YOU CAN DO IT! LET DADDY SHOW YOU!" And then this grown ass man jumped into the air and landed on his hands, starting to walk on them. "LOOK! I'LL WALK THE REST OF THE WAY ON MY HANDS!" "Do not make eye contact." Karin advised her blonde sister, keeping her eyes forward as she walked. "Attention will only encourage him.""Not true..."

 **TMP TMP TMP TMP TMP TMP TMP TMP.**

Isshin began to run towards them, still walking on his hands. Kuzu and Karin began to run from him, both understandably freaked out by their fathers antics.

"I DON' NEED ATTENTION! I'M SELF-MOTIVATED!" "RUN!"

Ichigo watched as the three ran, and snorted as his father's hand slipped and the old man fell flat on his face, only to then be kicked by his own daughter, Karin, and be sent flying down the hill. Ichigo shook his head and wiped his forehead, staring up at the sky while ignoring his fathers shouting. "phew..it's June but it's already scorching...this day...another June 17th, but so different from that one...""Hey!" Yuzu's shouting brought him out of his thoughts and Ichigo turned his head to look at her. "Another visitor...is she here to see mommy too? Oh! She's turning this way!"

A young looking girl in a sun dress and large hat was standing a bit of a distance from them. At first Ichigo had no idea who this way, but when she turned to them and removed the hat to wave, Ichigo realized it was Rukia. He instantly became annoyed. _WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT WAS MAGICAL IS SHE DOING THERE?!_ "She's waving." Yuzu said, looking up at her big brother. "A friend of yours, Ichigo? "No!" Ichigo said angrily. "Never seen her before! Not ever! Never!" However, Karin, despite having no real memory of the days before, at least as far as Ichigo knew, still seemed to find Rukia familiar, which she stated. Ichigo threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "OH NOW I REMEMBER! We were best friends in junior high! Like brother and sister! It's been so long! Give us a moment to reminisce- **ALONE**!" He then booked it, running towards the female Soul Reaper. "I'll go set her straight! You guys go ahead to mom's grave!"

The sisters glanced at one another, clearly confused. "Set her..straight?" Yuzu repeated. Karin smirked, a twinkle in her eye.

"Aha! Well..he's getting to that age.."

" ** _WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?_** "

Ichigo stood with Rukia far ahead from his family, scowling down at the short girl, who had her arms crossed and a scowl of her own. "Relax. You'll need my help if a Hollow shows up." She tried to explain, but Ichigo wasn't having any of it. "But you didn't to...couldn't you have been a little sneakier?!" "Sorry." Rukia said, though she didn't sound sincere at all. "I didn't think." With those words Rukia then stared at Ichigo, and he realized he couldn't read her expression. "Hey...are you mad or something? That I didn't invite you or something?" "No. I'm curious. She was 'killed'. Right? You said your mother was-" "No, I didn't." Ichigo cut her off, reverting to his usual blunt tone. Rukia blinked and walked closer to him. "Who killed her" "I didn't say that. Just drop it." But Rukia had no intentions to.

"You told me you saw spirits from a young age. so answer one question for me. Could your mother have been killed by...a Hollow?"

" ** _NO WAY!_** "  
Ichigo sure was being bold today. So much shouting...it really caught Rukia off guard.

Ichigo shoved his hands in his pockets, and despite the anger in his tone, he had a sort of sneer on his face. "You don't know. Why's everything have to be about Hallows with you? That's ridiculous. To blame it on a...that's not what happened." He leaned forward slightly, getting in Rukia's face. "There was no freakin' Hollow, okay! So just leave it alone!" As he said the last sentence something in the distance caught Ichigo's eye, a movement. He moved his face away from Rukia's and saw what appeared to be a child standing at the end of the trail on the top of the hill. He staggered back, his eyes widening. "N-No way!" Ichigo stammered, but before Rukia could say anything, he ran off towards the figure, "What is **she** doing here?"

But when he reached the top, the only person he found standing there was Miku, flowers in her arms.


	10. The death of parents: Miku

Miku looked surprised, and a little startled when Ichigo had suddenly ran up to her. She had only arrived at the cemetery herself a few minutes ago and was just waiting around for her older brother to show up and lead her to the graves. She hadn't expected to see anyone from school, let alone Ichigo Kurosaki. He looked equally surprised when he saw her. "M-Miku? I...what are..." He stood up straight and tried to catch his breath. "There was a kid up here. Did you see where she went?" "I...I think...I think it was a spirit. Just when I noticed it standing there, it vanished. I'm..sorry?" Miku looked down awkwardly, adjusting her weight from one foot to the other. Ichigo began to feel bad. "Hey, don't worry about it! It isn't your fault or problem or anything! Uh...oh...right...how..are you feeling?" Ichigo hadn't seen Miku since she did whatever it was that had helped Karin. He had found her in Karin's room after helping the ghost child escape from that Hallow. Miku had been crouched in the corner of the room, looking as though she was in pain. Ichigo had taken her to his father who instantly took her away to be examined. He'd demanded Miku have bed rest for the rest of the week, and he didn't want her having visitors, in case it overwhelmed her. That's how Ichigo learned that Miku was sickly, practically since she was a baby. Miku flushed and gave a ghost of a smile. "I'm...feeling a lot better. Thank you for asking."

The pair went silent, neither sure what to say now. Well, Ichigo did have a question, but he wasn't sure how to..

"We're visiting..our parents."

Ichigo stared at Miku, surprised that she had spoken, and had even told him that of all things. Despite her getting involved in all this craziness, and Ichigo actually wanting to get to know her more, they weren't close, and he hadn't expected her to share such information. Sure, they were at a cemetery, and he recalled her calling a spirit from earlier her mother, so this should have been obvious, but still, it was a touchy subject. He didn't want to force anything out of her or make her feel uncomfortable. But now that she had said Ichigo felt he had to ask. They never did have that talk after saving Orihime. "So..that ghost hanging from a noose? That's..." "...Yes." Miku lowered her head, sighing deeply. "She died..not long ago. I was the one who found her. In the backyard."

Ichigo froze.

Despite his own mothers death, despite having witnessed it himself, and blaming it on himself for years, that sort of thing..he couldn't possibly imagine how that must have felt.

"...She was just...hanging there. I think..she got tired."

Ichigo stared down at Miku, realizing just how _fragile_ she looked. As if just poking her could shatter her into a million pieces. He wanted to comfort her, but was scared to touch her. So he just stood there, silent. Slowly, Miku lifted her head to look at him. "...Can I..tell you more about it? I don't know why...but it makes me feel better, talking to you." "...Of course." Ichigo looked around and saw an old wooden bench not motioned to it and the pair walked over. Once they sat down, Miku began to speak again. "...Her name is Miyuki. She died...not long after my father went missing. He was a researcher, and I guess you could call him an archaeologist as well. He went missing on a dig. Mom...I don't think she could handle it..him being gone.."

So now it was just her and her brother.

Ichigo supposed he understood now why Miku was willing to help Orihime. They actually had a bit in common.

Ichigo leaned his head back and looked up at the sky, not really noticing as he placed his hand over Miku's. Miku, however did notice, and her face went red, but she quickly scolded herself. It wasn't like he was holding her hand or anything, his was just sitting there...on top of hers. That was all.


	11. The death of parents: Ichigo

Ichigo was silent, taking in and processing everything Miku had told him. A missing father and...suicide. God. Good god. This poor girl. Slowly, his hand curled around hers and he gave it a gentle squeeze, but still kept his eyes on the sky above them. Miku was grateful for that, as now her face had turned a deep, deep red. "...We're here to see my mom." Ichigo spoke finally, closing his eyes. "...I've seen ghosts for as long as I can remember. I see them so clearly...that I couldn't tell the difference between the living and the dead when I was little." Miku stared up at Ichigo as he spoke, surprised he was even telling her. She had shared her own story, yes, but.."I had never seen her cry, or get mad. Not even once. Parents moods have a big effect on their kids, and I think she knew that. Whatever happened to me, if I was with her, I was okay. And not just me. Yuzu and Karin, who were four at the time, and dad...all loved her as much as I did. She was the center of our universe." Ichigo trailed off for a moment and opened his eyes, glancing down to see Miku staring at him intently. He never talked about this with people, but to be honest, he was glad that she was listening, paying attention to his every word. Ichigo adjusted himself so he was sitting a little closer to Miku, keeping a hold of her hand. "Dad told me my name means 'one who protects', That's when...I remember thinking...I wanted to protect my mother. Who always protected me."

"It was raining that day. It had rained hard the day before, too, and the day before that. So the river was way up. But this girl was standing there with no umbrella. Standing there like she was deciding whether or not to jump. And..back then, I couldn't tell the dead from the living." Miku's heart dropped, as she felt she knew where this story was going. Oh god...now she was giving Ichigo's hand a light squeeze. He had closed his eyes again, his head lulled back towards the sky. "At first, I just wanted to protect my mother, then my sisters were born, and I wanted to protect them too. That's why I started going to the dojo, And as I got stronger...I wanted to protect..more and more people. I didn't see what cut her. Maybe it was a piece of glass, or a bent piece of metal hanging from a passing bus. But..she died trying to protect me. And..the girl was gone. I tore the heart out of our universe. Me. _It was me._ "

Miku wanted to hug Ichigo. To hug him and tell him that it wasn't his fault, that he shouldn't be blaming himself. But she just..couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to do it. So instead she just held onto his hand and hoped that he could sense what she was thinking. Miku couldn't tell if he did, but still, Ichigo opened his eyes again and stared down at her before slowly smiling. "Hey...thanks. For listening." All Miku could do was nod. She just..couldn't find her voice. And then Ichigo made her feel even more uneasy and flustered when he pulled her into a somewhat awkward hug. "I want to protect you, too. Just like you've protected my friends and family. Thank you Miku. I know you don't have any power like I do, but you've put yourself on the line for the people I care about. Thank you." "..y-you're welcome..?" Was all Miku could manage. Ichigo laughed and let go, then noticed someone approuching them and stood, waving. "I think that's your brother?"

Mafuyu waved back as he reached them, flowers in his arms that matched the kind Miku had brought. "Hey, I've been looking for you..and you must be Doctor Kurosaki's son? I've seen you a few times when I drop Miku off at his clinic. It's nice to meet you." It was an awkward greeting, but Mafuyu seemed happy that Miku was out talking to someone. Ichigo introduced himself, and then bid the Hanasaki siblings goodbye, glancing back at Miku and smiling before he left to rejoin his own family. Miku got to her feet and began to follow her brother towards her parents graves. Even though their fathers body had never been recovered, Mafuyu had insisted that a gravestone was made for him. But just as they got close, Miku froze.

Karin and Yuzu were standing on the ledge of some sort of drop, a steep hill or a cliff? Miku didn't know how to describe it, she wasn't good with words. But..they were with some girl, and standing behind her was a hollow.

AN: FINALLY! sorry it took so long, everyone, and thank you so much for your support! I'll try to start updating regularly. I apologize if this chapter wasn't that great, but huzah, I can sorta kinda make my ship sail!


	12. Lure

Miku was absolutely frozen as she stared up the hill at the Hollow that stood smirking before Karin, Yuzu standing only a few feet away. The Hollow was huge, maybe bigger than Sora, with multiple holes running along its face. In front of it, possibly as a type of lure, was a young black haired girl. "...K-Karin, Yuzu! Get away from there!" Miku screamed when she finally found her voice. All of them turned when they heard her and Karin's eyes widened when they fell upon Miku. "You..AH!" The Hollow reached out and swipped at Karin, causing her to tumble forward before i slammed its large hand down on her. Yuzu, who couldn't see the Hollow, ran to her sister and went to help her up, only to find herself touching the Hollow's arm in confusion. It was all..moving too fast. Suddenly the Hollow's tongue shot out, wrapping itself around Yuzu's neck and lifting her into the air. The dark haired girl stared up at her with a dull expression. "Shut up..this brat..is nothing but another interference hanging about with no spiritual power." Their voice was so cold, it sent chills through Miku. Still frozen in place, she felt absolutely powerless. She still had no idea how she used the Mitori on Karin, and would it even work on a Hollow? Where was Ichigo?! Thus thing..it was so strong..he had to sense its power, he _had_ to. "I only want to eat the dark haired brat!" This shook Miku from her thoughts. "Trash like you aren't even hors D'oevres, but...You're an eyesore. **I'll eat you first!** " The Hollow opened his mouth, and that's when, in a blur of motion, Ichigo appeared, slicing off the Hollow's tongue. Miku suddenly found herself running forward, catching Yuzu before she hit the ground. He then freed Karin by using his large sword to cut off the Hollow's hand next. and pulling Karin into his arm. Both the girl and the Hollow stared at him coldly. "...A shinigami." 'What's going on here?!" Ichigo demanded. "You..you were the one at the river's edge that time...six years ago! Why are you here?! How come you're with a Hollow?!"

Oh.

Oh god.

 _This is what killed Ichigo's mother._

Miku could only stare in horror and disbelief, clutching Yuzu to her protectively. The girl regarded Ichigo with interest. "Six years ago? I don't remember that far back...but I see..you've seen me before." "What the heck are you?! A Hollow's crony?! Or are you controlled by a Hollow?!" The girl just stared at him, stoking Ichigo's anger. "Say something!" "Both are wrong, boy." And now she gave him this awful, awful grin. "...A guy who has seen my form, yet survived...hehehe..you..are a lucky guy." As the girl spoke, her skin began to..it began to split down the middle of her skull, sliding off to reveal what appeared to be a skull but..wasn't? It was all so disgusting, Miku was struggling not to get sick. Finally the skin completely fell off to reveal something strange, and when silk or, something, shot out of it and attached itself to the Hollows head, Miku realized she was right. The girl had been nothing but a lure. "But that luck had run out. Now that you've seen me like this...I can't let you go without eating your soul." "Grand Fisher." Miku glanced back to see that Rukia had joined them, frowning slightly. "That's his code name. He hides his body, while his neck protrudes a lure that takes on human shape...humans who can see that..that is to say, he attacks and devours humans who have souls of high spiritual density. By doing this, he increases his own strength." Rukia continued her info dump as she pulled out her phone, fiddling with it. "For 54 long years, he has continued to elude us shinigami." Somehow, she pulled a paper from the phone and slowly walked up to Ichigo's side, handing it to him. "That's him. He's highly infamous. Look, his name is so well-known, that the Soul Society's database has an extensive record of him." As she spoke, Rukia's expression seemed to fill with disgust as she stared down the Hollow. It merely chuckled in response. "As you say, brat. Anyway, there are so many of you here who can see my form. What a catch! I'm so happy. So happy. One..two..three..four..oh man..I wonder if all of you will fit in my stomach!"

"YOU BASTARD!"

Miku was shocked by her own voice. But she didn't stop.

"IT WAS YOU! YOU KILLED ICHIGO'S MOTHER!"


	13. Please don't die

Just as Miku shouted out, Ichigo was suddenly in the air, his large sword above his head as he prepared to swing down. It seemed he had figured it out just as Miku had. This Hallow had killed his mother. He let out a scream and swung down as hard as he could, Rukia scowling as she watched. "Fool!" Just as his sword was about to hit, Grand Fisher jumped out of the way, causing Ichigo's sword to hit the ground. Rukia scowled, running towards them. "This is careless, you moron!" "Hehe.." Grand Fisher snickered. Part of it's fur suddenly began to twist, growing longer before taking the form of a thin, three fingered arm, reaching straight towards Ichigo. "Inexperienced boy!" "ICHIGO!" Miku cried out, as it seemed he was too surprised to move. Shaken from whatever was going through his mind, he just barely escaped the attack. grand Fisher pushed itself into the air once again, it's fur taking the shape of a star. Its hair,just like with the arm, began to grow, only this time it remained in it's current form and lunged towards the substitute Shinigami, attempting to drown him in hair. Rukia growled, holding her right hand out, two fingers pointed upwards as she placed her other hand over the wrist. "READ, BURN, AND DEVOUR YOUR OWN THROAT!" She yelled, and Miku realized she must have been charging up some sort of spell or attack. "DISINTEGRATE, RONDA-NINNIE'S BLACK DOG!" "STOP, RUKIA!" Both girls cringed at Ichigo's sudden outburst, and he sliced at the hair with his sword, cutting himself free. "Take Miku. Go with her and Kon to watch after Karin and Yuzu. I'll do this alone...stay back this time." Miku stared wide eyed. No way he was planning on taking this thing on by himself! "Please...don't interfere." Rukia was thinking the same thing.

"Shut up!" She yelled, running to the orange haired boys side. "Don't talk nonsense, he's strong! I told you, for more than fifty years, he's eluded shiniga...-" Rukia suddenly trailed off. Ichigo had pushed himself to his feet, his sword ready. He looked determined, more determined that Miku had ever seen him. "This..is my fight." Both girls stared at him before Rukia let off an angry huff and grabbed his younger sisters, running off. Miku stared at Ichigo, and he glanced at her. "...Miku, thank you so much for protecting my sisters, but there's nothing else you can do now. Please go. I don't want this bastard to hurt you too." Miku was silent and then nodded, turning quickly and running after Rukia. Soon they had gotten a good distance from the fight, and Rukia set Karin and Yuzu down before pulling this tiny little stuffed lion out of her bag and pulling Ichigo's body out from a bush. Without a word she held the lion up to his face, and to Miku's surprise, it began to scream. "HELL NOOOOOO!" Miku gasped and covered her mouth, staring at the strange scene before her. Her heart was racing. Rukia growled as the toy struggled. 'Don't make a racket, don't struggle, and don't complain!" She demanded. "I'll set you on fire!" This was actually kind of comical. "No! Getting burnt is bad, but this is much worse! Why do I have to kiss him?!" "I didn't say kiss, I said get closer!" Rukia tried to shove it against Ichigo's face, but the lion used its paws to keep away. "even so, no way! Aaah! It stinks! It stinks! It stinks!" Oh dear, was it crying...? "He probably never brushes his teeth! Sister!" Using all her strength, Rukia forced the stuffed lion to kiss Ichigo. The toy became limp and suddenly Ichigo's body bolted up, screaming. "NASTY! GYAAAAA!" It then bent over, coughing. "Bleagh! Ugh! Geh! Dammit! This mouth, this mouth!" Miku was actually struggling not to giggle. This was a serious situation, but it was so funny... "Don't whine, it's unsightly, Kon!" Rukia scolded. So this was Kon.. "Come, let's move the girls quickly!" Miku watched as, groaning and complaining, Kon picked up each girl and he and Rukia began to walk away. She lingered and glanced back in the direction where Ichigo and Grand Fisher would be fighting.

"..Please...don't die.."

AND I RISE!

Here it is, the next chapter for Bleach! Sadly, we won't get to see the big fight. This is about Miku, after all, and she has little to no powers!


	14. That's what friends do

Miku sat with Rukia in a sitting area of the cemetery, Kon sitting opposite of them, leaning against the little shelter they had set Yuzu and Karin in. She felt so useless, being unable to help more, but even then...Ichigo wanted to fight alone.

"Aren't you going?"

The two girls looked up as Kon spoke, and Rukia tilted her head to the side a little. "Go where?" "Eh? No, I mean.." Kon scratchd the back of his head. It was so weird, seeing him use Ichigo's body like that. Miku found it kind of creepy. "No, I mean...to save Ichigo." "He said not to interfere." Rukia replied, a little coldly as she looked away from him. Kon frowned a little, and Miku had to agree with him. It didn't feel right to leave Ichigo like that. "So you're really going to leave this alone? It's a strong Hollow this time. Didn't you say that, sister?" He was going to need help... 'He's not gonna die, right?" "...I don't know." Rukia spoke softly, and it was clear she was about as against this as the other two were. Miku gently touched her arm, furrowing her brow. This all still felt so foreign. Worry about someone who wasn't herself or Mafuyu. Talking to people. Touching people. Miku had never done all this before, not even when she was a child. If Ichigo died, she didn't think she could handle it. Kon sighed and leaned closer to their direction. "...well, can I ask you a favor? Please, go save Ichigo." And he surprised both girls by actually bowing. "Please!" "Quit..quit it Kon! Men shouldn't bow their heads so easily!" Kon sat up, clapping the dirt from his hands and scowled. "It's not easily! For me this is a big problem! Because if that guy dies, I'll have to stay in this body forever. I'll have to keep living with this damn noisy family!" Oh..they hadn't thought of that. "Aww man! I definitely couldn't take that! I'd be dead! I'd die! Definitely die!" He groaned, his hands over his face as Rukia rolled her eyes, but she frowned and backed away a little as he bowed again. "For that reason, I'm begging you!" "I...I understand! I understand, so quit it!" At that Kon's eyes widened and he broke out into a grin. It was...strange. If it had been Ichigo, really Ichigo, Miku would have found the expression cute, but somehow knowing that wasn't him on the inside made it...less so. "Really?" He was near bouncing. "You'll go?!" "...In return.." Rukia turned away from him, crossing her arms. "You and Miku stay here and protect them!" "Will do!" Kon grinned and Rukia rolled her eyes before running off without another word.

Miku leaned back and glanced at ichigo's sisters. Karin and Yuzu were sleeping peaceful, and it put her mind at ease, at least a little bit. She was still incredibly worried about Ichigo, but now that Rukia was going to help him he should be fine...right? Feeling a presence she turned her head and yelped when she found that Kon was uncomfortably close to her. He grinned and laughed. "Did I scare ya? Sorry! I just don't think I've met you yet." "Uhm..." Miku scooted away from him a bit. "I'm...Miku. I'm friends with Ichigo.." "Oh?" Kon raised his brows and smirked. "Friends? _Just_ friends?'

Miku didn't like his tone. It sounded like he was suggesting something, and she did not like that.

"Yes...yes, just friends. That's all."

"Well, you're really going out of your way for a guy who's _just a friend_." Miku's face heated up slightly. She opened her mouth to argue but...really, what was her reason for doing this? What was her reason for helping Ichigo, for befriending him and his friends? She just happened to be at the right place at the right time and went against all of her self preservation instincts. Miku pressed her lips together and shook her head, her ponytail swaying slightly. They were her friends. She wasn't sure how it had happened exactly, she wasn't sure what purposed it served. But they were her friends.

"Isn't...isn't that what friends do?" She asked Kon. "They help each other when they're needed most...right?"


End file.
